The overall tonality is fairly even and pretty convincing. The tuning, leveling, and color felt quite similar to the CX Plus in many regards, but what sets the Momentum 2 apart is its handling and tightness. The models look nearly identical and are bit chunky (they stick out of your ears a bit) but both deliver excellent sound for their price, with good clarity and well-defined bass. The first number of the IP rating refers to protection against dust, while the second number refers to protection against liquid. If youre strapped for cash, the CX is by no means left in the dust by its pricier comrades, but if you have a bit more coin to spare, the CX Plus will get you a bang for your buck upgrade, and the Momentum 2 will give you an undeniably heightened listening experience. Some brands value discretion where products like this are concerned. The opposite end of the frequency range has depth, substance and is properly straight-edged where attack and decay of specific sounds is concerned. The Momentum 2 felt like it had a slightly tighter grip over the music, allowing its bass-heavy underbelly to function with a bit more room to breathe. What does it have that will either make it a standout model or does it perform better than the rest? Wingtips come in handy for sports and other physical activities. Switch to a TIDAL Masters file of Lana Del Reys If You Lie Down With Me and those pros and cons remain unaltered, but this recording is also a little more revealing of the Sennheisers ability with dynamic subtlety and positivity. The driver unit is the component that produces sound in the device. The device sits tightly in place, creating an acoustic seal which reduces background noise and prevents your music from leaking out. To be clear, however, these aren't active noise-canceling earbuds, they simply offer noise reduction for calls. On a recent trip to New York City, the CX plus held up just fine on subway rides without losing track of my podcasts and songs. Sennheiser implemented the MEMS microphone system in a two plus two configuration with beamforming for the CX Plus True Wireless. The charging cradle has a single 420mAh battery and each earbud has its own 55mAh battery. We purchase our own headphones and We handpick the products and services we write about. Alabama Shakes Sound and Color rivets through my whole body while The Strokes Last Night is bright and poppy in all the right places.

I almost preferred it in quality over my phones own microphone and definitely over the built-in speaker. The App also has a feature called sound check which helps you adjust all the sound parameters to your personal preference and give you the ability to store that as a custom preset. For the record, I have very average ears. The Sennheiser CX Plus True Wireless are talented but far from being the complete product, What Hi-Fi? The CX Plus are a follow-up to this summers $129 CX, one of the first Sennheiser products released after its consumer audio brand was sold to hearing aid maker Sonova.

Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). Ideal for plane rides and morning commutes. Executive Editor David Carnoy has been a leading member of CNET's Reviews team since 2000. 2022 CNET, a Red Ventures company. They seem to have a unique rounded edge cube shape with the output nozzle at a slight angle at one of the corners. Unlike some competing designs, the CX Plus True Wireless dont significantly alter their sound depending on whether or not noise-cancellation is enabled which is good. Required fields are marked *. Sennheiser rates battery life for the CX Plus at 8 hours with ANC, 9 hours without ANC, and 24 hours total in the case. earbud They give you just enough to satisfy all around and sound good enough. Multipoint allows you to link to more Bluetooth devices and switch between them. All the titles are available as Kindle, iBooks, Nook e-books and audiobooks. Custom EQ adjustment is basically table stakes at this point, but I am glad that these buds sound great out of the box for people who dont know how to tweak EQ. And when theyre good with sonic punch and detail, for example, or their control options theyre very good indeed. 's expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Its super tiny about the same height as an AirPods Pro case but a little bit thicker, so I had no problem fitting it in my pockets. The lowest frequency that the mic can pick up. It has stronger bass tones and is unlikely to fall out of the ear. This 7mm dynamic driver according to Sennheiser is designed to produce goosebumps and that is somewhat of a loaded statement to me. The biggest downside of the Sennheiser CX Plus is that as good as they are, they dont quite justify their premium, however small, over their competitors. Its got an impactful, balanced sound with a lot of clarity and detail. Devices with neodymium magnets are lighter and more powerful than those which use ferrite magnets. Devices with a higher sound pressure level are generally louder when supplied with any given audio source. aptX is a codec used for transmitting audio wirelessly with Bluetooth. We would like to thank Sennheiser USAfor giving us this opportunity. Are they any good? Sennheiser seemingly knows this since the buds default to pausing your music whenever transparency is enabled. Probably the most unique aspect of the shell design is something very subtle which to me was well thought out. Sennheiser CX Plus True Wireless tech specs, Sennheiser CX Plus True Wireless at Amazon for $128, Don't believe the hype: Bluetooth LE and the LC3 codec won't improve audio quality. Battery life is up to 9 hours at moderate volume levels (the slightly bulky charging case stores an additional three charges) versus 7 hours for the previous model.

The default touch commands are incredibly confusing as well. A funny thought went through my head when I saw these earbuds for the first time because they seem a bit chunky and also somewhat squared. I was expecting a subtle upgrade, but to me this felt like more than $50 of increased quality. Its got a bit of a smoother, flatter high end that has somewhat of a filtered shine to it. True wireless devices have no cables connecting any part of the device together. The Sennheiser CX Plus True Wireless is equipped with Lithium-Ion batteries all around. The battery life is also comparable to other flagship earbuds like the Sony WF-1000XM4, and its definitely enough to power through a day on a single charge. That means the CX Plus also inherit the same odd shape as the CX. And really the only answer to that is people who like Sennheiser and want to spend less than $200. One of their newer models is labeled the CX Plus true Wireless and is our review subject today. Still, the shape is decently ergonomic, the fit is comfortable (thanks in part to a wide selection of eartip sizes) and the relative bulk of the earbuds means theres plenty of room both for the capacitive touch-surface we mentioned and for a couple of mics. Secondly, theres now Smart Pause. 2022 Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co. KG | Singapore, Sennheiser's new IE 600 IEMs feature hand-finished 3D-printed zirconium shells, StereoNET: IE 900 In-ear Headphones Review. Compared to the previous-generation CX400BT, the CX adds an extra microphone on each bud, which does improve the voice-calling experience and makes it easier for callers to hear your voice, even in noisy environments. I got the black version, but the buds also come in white. Next, we have another big addition. He's also an e-reader and e-publishing expert as well as the author of the novels Knife Music, The Big Exit and Lucidity. Ambient sound mode uses microphones to pass through ambient noises so that they can still be heard. Far as the internal components are concerned, it seems Sennheiser is keeping hush on what chips they use since none of their models have one listed. The ANC doesnt do a great job on airplanes so I wouldnt advise making these your go-to earbuds for flying. Theyre really good, but I cant pretend there arent options that are about as good (or better) for a few dollars more or less. The 8-hour standalone battery life is cool since theyll last a cross-country flight on one charge, but your total listening time available is still in line with the rest of the market. The high end on the CX Plus also has a shinier, glossier edge to it, not flattening its treble like the CX does. A single tap on the right bud is for play/pause, but a single tap on the left ear enables transparency mode. The CX and CX Plus look almost indistinguishable, so much so I had to be careful to not mix them up during this review. Find out more about how we test. It's the 'loudness' of the sound that the microphone can pick up. A lover of music, audio gear, and a Computer geek. The market for wireless earbuds under $200 is becoming extraordinarily crowded. Disclaimer: The Sennheiser CX Plus True Wireless was sent as a sample in exchange for our honest opinion. A triple tap on the left re-enables ANC, while a triple tap on the right summons your phones virtual assistant. Thankfully you can customize these controls in the app but its not exactly intuitive to get to that menu. Headphones store-bought and tested, supported by you via. I found getting a proper fit and seal on the CX Plus to be far easier and more immediate than when I tried with the CX. These microphones are designed to filter out background noise from the desired sound. Upfront and what I noticed is the most prominent feature for the CX Plus True Wireless from an audiophile perspective is the use of the driver Sennheiser calls their TrueResponse transducer. put them under the same test bench, The Sennheiser CX Plus True Wireless makes a good urban companion and a useful aide for those who also like to use their phone hands-free. The buds are squarish ovals that taper into your ear canal. The device can connect at a greater distance via Bluetooth or infrared to another device. The earbud form is ultracompact and lightweight, with little or no interference with earrings, spectacles, hats, or hairstyles.

Songs with lots of bass have lots of bass, and songs that dont dont. The lower the impedance, the easier it is to get higher volume and requires less power. Everything is tested by our dedicated team of in-house reviewers in our custom-built test rooms in London and Bath. Heres why you can trust us. Impedance is the devices electrical resistance to the current being pushed through it. LDAC is a codec developed by Sony for Bluetooth audio. Better for recording treble. HDMI ARC and HDMI eARC: everything you need to know. Sennheiser has done a great job with all these earbuds, and to me the price distribution feels very on par with their quality for the most part.

What Hi-Fi? And check out our Sennheiser CX 400BT review, These are the best true wireless earbuds: budget to premium. Help us by suggesting a value. Input 2022 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Personally, I like earbuds that dont need to create a perfect vacuum in one of the most delicate parts of my body to sound good, but there are legions of people who feel otherwise.